MLB Player News

The Red Sox informed Watson on Monday that he will be included on the Opening Day roster, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The 28-year-old righty won a spot in the Boston bullpen after submitting a 5.56 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB over 11.1 innings during the Grapefruit League. A Rule 5 Draft selection over the winter, Watson will need to be stashed on the major-league roster throughout the 2026 season, or else the Red Sox will have to offer him back to the Giants.

The Red Sox optioned Samaniego to Triple-A Worcester on Monday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Samaniego spun 5.1 scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play, collecting a 6:2 K:BB with just one hit allowed. It wasn't enough to capture a spot on the Opening Day roster, but Samaniego is poised to make his major-league debut at some point this season.

Through nine spring appearances, Estrada has tossed 9.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while posting a 16:7 K:BB.

Estrada has looked nearly unhittable in exhibition action while racking up a 14.9 K/9. The walks are a bit concerning, though the flamethrowing reliever is coming off a 2025 regular season during which he posted a career-best 8.9 percent walk rate. Estrada also recorded a career-high 30 holds last year and is slated to again be a key high-leverage arm for San Diego in 2026.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said Sunday that he plans to use Triolo as the team's everyday shortstop to begin the season, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. "Just feel like he's been so good at short in his limited time last year," Kelly said of Triolo. "He's good anywhere you put him. But just felt like being a shortstop, having him there when he's on the field is really important."

A Gold Glove Award winner as a utility man in 2024, Triolo continued to provide strong defense at multiple infield spots in 2025, logging 44 starts at shortstop, 30 at third base, 12 at first base and 10 at second base. He'll carry eligibility at the former two positions in most fantasy leagues heading into 2026, but the Pirates seemingly want to deploy Triolo on more of a full-time basis at shortstop rather than shifting him all over the infield as needs arise. Triolo has already proved that he belongs in the big leagues defensively, but the jury is still out as to whether he's worthy of a regular spot in the everyday lineup. The 28-year-old owns a mediocre 87 wRC+ over parts of three seasons in the big leagues, but he took a major step forward in the second half of 2025, slashing .276/.353/.422 (117 wRC+) with four home runs and eight stolen bases across 216 plate appearances.

Muncy went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI in a spring win over the Angels on Sunday.

Muncy's RBI came on a bases-loaded walk in the third inning. The veteran third baseman has performed well during the exhibition slate, posting a .333/.429/.583 slash line with three home runs, seven RBI, eight runs and a 6:8 BB:K through 14 games. Muncy has missed over 150 games due to injury over the past two seasons, so staying healthy would go a long way toward firming up his fantasy value.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said Sunday that Gonzales is slated to see most of his playing time at third base to begin the season, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Gonzales entered spring training poised to take over as the Pirates' primary shortstop in 2026 after making his 11 of his final 13 starts at that position last season once Isiah Kiner-Falefa was out of the picture upon being claimed off waivers by Toronto. In a somewhat surprising decision, however, Kelly has opted to move Jared Triolo -- who secured a Gold Glove as a utility man in 2024 -- off of third base with the plan to use him at shortstop on an everyday basis. Gonzales should still be comfortable at third base after logging four starts at that spot in spring training, and he's expected to quickly gain eligibility at that position in most fantasy leagues while also carrying over eligibility at second base from 2025. He'll likely take longer to attain eligibility at shortstop, unless Triolo misses time with an injury early in the season.

The Rays recalled Palacios from Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Palacios was optioned to minor-league camp last week, but he's been given a reprieve with Gavin Lux (shoulder) headed to the injured list. The 28-year-old Palacios could see some starts at second base while Lux is out and is also an option for reps in the outfield.

Lux will begin the season on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lux returned to Grapefruit League play Sunday after a one-day absence, but his shoulder still didn't feel right and testing has revealed an impingement. He was also limited this spring but general upper-body soreness, though it's unclear if that was related to the shoulder issue. With Lux slated to miss time, the Rays could turn to Ben Williamson and/or Richie Palacios at second base.

Leahy will open the season in the Cardinals' rotation, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Leahy's regular-season debut will occur March 30 with a start at home against the Mets. The right-hander has not been used as a starting pitcher regularly since 2022, but he often worked multiple innings out of the Cardinals' bullpen last season and was stretched out as a starter this spring, finishing with a 4.58 ERA and 20:5 K:BB over 17.2 frames. Leahy has not reached 90 innings in any of the last three seasons while being used in the bullpen, so he's sure to face some form of workload restrictions in 2026.

Pitching coach Matt Blake said Sunday that Gil won't be in line for a starting role to begin the season while the Yankees plan to get by with a four-man rotation for the first 13 days of their schedule, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. "He'd like to be a starter with us, so it's frustrating," Blake said. "But at the same time, he understands the position we're in with the way the schedule lines up for the first two weeks."

The Yankees won't need a fifth starter until April 11, so Gil would appear to be tentatively in line to make his first start of the season that day against the Rays. According to Blake, the team hasn't decided whether Gil will be sent to the minors over the first two weeks, or if he'll be used in a piggyback/long-relief role until he's needed in the rotation. After missing the first four months of the 2025 season while recovering from a lat strain, Gil went on to go 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 41:33 K:BB in 57 innings over his 11 starts with the Yankees. He's looked sharper this spring, submitting a 19:4 K:BB in 14.1 innings during the Grapefruit League.